Cook Medical has announced that a first-of-its-kind operation has been performed in the UK using Zenith Helical Branch Iliac Endovascular Graft. Mr. Ferdinand Serracino-Inglott, one of Europe's most experienced vascular surgeons, carried out the complex medical procedure on an 81 year old man at the Manchester Royal Infirmary using the Helical Branch Endograft. The patient, Mr. Dennis Ryan, was suffering from an aortic aneurysm (a weakening of the wall of the aorta). Unlike more common aneurysms, Mr. Ryan's aneurysm extended from his abdominal aorta into his iliac artery, the main blood supply to the legs. This extension made the operation a more complicated procedure than if the aneurysm had only affected the aorta. To perform the operation, Mr. Serracino-Inglott had to seal off both aneurysms, without restricting the blood supply to the patient's legs. If the blood flow is interrupted, he explained, the elderly patient could have experienced numerous disabling problems. The minimally invasive operation took place on 12th September and lasted two hours, and the patient's general condition has been closely monitored since then. Mr. Ryan made a good recovery, and within four weeks of the operation, was back to day to day life. Such a quick recovery would not have been possible with open surgical replacement of the diseased aorta, highlighting the potential patient benefits of the minimally invasive endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) procedure in complex cases. Mr. Serracino-Inglott explains: “Mr. Ryan's case was slightly more complex than usual since the aneurysm not only effected the aorta but also the left common iliac artery. Using any other stent-graft would have resulted in us cutting off the blood supply to the buttocks and pelvis on this side. This could have given rise to buttock pain on walking, bowel problems and impotence. “Cook Medical's Zenith Helical Branch Iliac Endovascular Graft enabled me to repair Mr. Ryan's common iliac aneurysm whilst still maintaining a good flow of blood to the internal iliac arteries (blood vessels to the pelvis and buttocks).” This was the first time that Cook's helical branched endograft has been used in the UK, and reflects the great strides being made in product innovation by medical device manufacturers such as Cook Medical. Phil Nowell explains: “We developed this product specifically to enable surgeons to treat complicated conditions such as Mr. Ryan's using EVAR. By continuing to focus on product innovation we hope that more and more patients can experience the reduced trauma and improved mortality rates offered by EVAR rather than having to undergo the far more invasive and potentially debilitating open surgical alternative.”